$975 1990 Eagle Premier

The Eagle Premier is a lost sedan that has flown totally underneath the collector radar. But it has a lot of important history tied to it.

Eagle was a brand by American Motors Corportaion. AMC lasted as one piece until the 80s. First, Renault gained controlling interest. Then, Chrysler bought it out altogether and dissolved it, although they kept the Eagle and Jeep brands.

The Premier, which was designed under AMC's partnership with Renault before they were bought out, is therefore notable for being the last American Motors car ever built.

They tried to go out on top, though. The Premier was supposed to herald the brand's focus on a new range of front-wheel drive family cars to fight Detroit and Japan's offerings.

It helped they got one of the greatest automotive stylists of all time (literally voted Car Designer of the Century by the Global Automotive Elections Foundation): Giorgetto Giugiaro. Using his trademark touch, he crated the definitive large sedan shape of the late 20th century: long hood, flat planes, minimal detail, a love for rectangular forms and a big greenhouse. It was not only handsome, but aerodynamic and efficient, with an impressive drag coefficient of just .31.

The interior is equally functional-mod with an array of buttons close to the steering wheel, clear gauges and simple layout.

One of the best things about spare exterior design is that it usually means a spacious interior, and the Premier is no exception. The comfy front and rear seats as well as the trunk are all huge.

Underneath the metal lay some sophisticated equipment, including fully independent suspension and a choice between either an AMC 4-cylinder or a Renault V6.

Unfortunately the car wasn't a success. Some blame a lack of faith and promotion on Chysler's part. Others point to the crowded field of competitors in which another sedan just didn't have a chance. Production ended in 1991, along with the Soviet Union and so many other things.

Seeing that so few were sold, even less remain. These aren't exactly things that people are preserving and restoring, either. You can bet a whole bunch were lost to Cash for Clunkers. This Premier is the kind of car that gets trashed and then scrapped.

This one claims only 75k miles and a bunch of new parts but a dead battery. The seller wants just $975 for it. Granted nothing else is wrong, a car battery is usually about $60-$100. Total investment to drive a piece of automotive history would be a little over a grand. Not bad.

Available here on craigslist.

1990 Dodge Monaco

The Monaco was a clone of the Eagle Premier.

The Premier holds a special place in automotive history. It was the last car produced by American Motors Corporation before being acquired by Chrysler. The body was designed by Giugiaro (yes, Giugiaro).

When AMC realized people who bought their Wagoneer truck chose European cars for sedans, they set out to create a American car that could bring those buyers back. But with Renault parts, front-wheel drive and poor reliability, that effort failed. It was more on the level of a Camry or Accord (although it looked way cooler than both), but didn't sell nearly as many units.

The Premier was produced from 1987 to 1992. In 1990, Dodge decided to re-badge the car and sell it as the Monaco alongside the Premier. The car was identical inside and out except for some small cosmetic changes. If any examples of the Premier are hard to find today, the Monaco is even rarer. I don't have sales figures but given the brief production time and fact they get trashed then scrapped has to make them on the verge of extinction, if not so already.

The body by Giugiaro is one of his lesser known classics. Just as he set the standard with the wedge shape of the 70s, he createed the prototypical four-door family sedan shape of the 90s with the Premier/Monaco. It's a masterpiece of form over function, all clean straight lines and hard angles. No nonsense, but some people like their cars that way. I do.

The seller of this example says it has less than 94k miles on the clock, and is mercifully the V6 version. They say it was always stored in a garage, but, like a lot of craigslist ads, are scant on details. How many owners? Is there any rust? Is it even running?

Auto snobs will never accept the notion of a front-wheel drive four-door sedan as a classic, but the Monaco screams to be saved and recognized. How few examples have to be left for bells to start ringing? There's just too much history and style to be ignored.

Available here on craigslist in Milwaukee, Wisconsin for "best offer takes it". First time I've seen that.

Designer Family Sedan: 1990 Eagle Premier ES

The Eagle Premier was the last sedan made by American Motors.

It also bear's Giugiaro's styling. While he is better known for his edgy supercars of the '70s, it continually fascinates me to know he and his Italdesign studio actually sat down in the mid '80s and drew the lines for this ultraconservative family sedan. I love it. It looks great. Although he was no doubt inspired by the Audi 5000, the same philosophy of large, clean, flat planes he applied to two-door coupes is also used here and it works, miraculously. I especially appreciate the luggage rack on the trunk that incorporated the third brake light. We will probably never see these on new cars again but they have a wonderful charm.

This example is an upper-level ES trim, so it has large, comfy looking leather seats and alloy wheels. 1990 was the year they replaced trouble-prone electronics with a more reliable Chrysler system. '90 cars also had four-wheel disc brakes and a stainless steel exhaust system. They also mercifully did away with the 4-cylinder engine and offered just the V6. Unfortunately, they deleted the Design Giugiaro badges but I suppose they could be added on if you grabbed them from a wrecked model in a junkyard.

The seller says they are the original owner and the car has a '92 engine with only 30k miles on it, but is not running. They do say it has been "barn-kept" since 1995.

These were only made from 1987-1991 in relatively few numbers and many get junked every year. This could be chance to grab a neat looking survivor in bright red.

Find it here on craigslist in Piqua, Ohio for $1,500.

Last AMC Car: 1992 Eagle Premier

How would you like to own one of the last cars created by the now-defunct American Motors Corporation? I emphasize 'cars' because AMC did continue to make Jeeps, which are technically not cars.

If you're interested, this is the one to get. It's a '92 Eagle Premier. Eagle was a marque made by Chrysler after they bought AMC in 1987 and lasted from 1988-1999.

The Premier was Eagle's flagship car and was produced from 1987-1992. Eagle cars were mostly front-engine, front-wheel drive economical passenger cars. The Premier was Eagle's largest car and the first full-size car from AMC since 1978. There was also a sister clone badged as a Dodge Monaco from '90-'92, which is even more rare.

The chassis was based on the Renault 25. Renault had a partnership with AMC at the time, and this was the last result of their interesting partnership.

Mechanically, the car was offered with either a four or six-cylinder engine.

Styling was handled by famed designer Giorgietto Giugiaro. I love it. He was no doubt inspired by Audi cars of the time. It is the epitome of the late 20th century sedan, all boxes and squares and corners. It's handsome, conservative and reassuring. For the Premier's debut in 1987 I'm sure it was very futuristic feeling. It's also highly functional. Boxy design means more space, and the Premier had 122 cubic feet of interior room.

The seller says this one has 133k miles, no rust and runs well. That all sounds good enough for me.

It appears to be an upper-level trim ES, which apparently meant body color painted white alloy wheels, leather seats, and rear trunk deck luggage rack (love those) among other features. If you're going to get an old sedan, why not treat yourself? Get the most for your money and try to snag high trim cars over base models.

I also think it has the V6, though the seller doesn't say.

1992 was the last year of the Premier so AMC/Chrysler hopefully worked out all the bugs by then. Apparently some cars had electrical issues, but I haven't heard much about it. If this one made it to 133k, it's got to be good to go for at least another 50k miles.

This is the kind of totally forgotten but practical sedan I'd love to have as a daily driver for myself. It's an unusual, great looking and comfortable cruiser. Drive it into the ground, then restore it from the ground up with new paint, engine parts etc. By that time, you might have the only one left. This has got to be one of the top endangered cars. Few were made, few were sold, and very few are left as they have no collector value and typically get junked when owners are done with them.

Save this one.

Find it here on craigslist in Reed City, Michigan for a very reasonable $2,500.